CHAPTER 3

***JENNIFER***

The next day I reached the crime area while Nithish and Avinash are waiting from me on the spot. I nod my head when I walk towards them. They walk towards me three of us meet in the half-way.

“This is the spot ma’am”

Aviansh says while point the spot where Ragul’s body was found. This place is a forest area. Under the government which is not civilization at all. The nearby place from here is the Zoo of the government. Normally it will be coward on the weekend but mostly it will be normal like the zoo keeper working on the zoo and some of the traveller’s will comes to watch the animals.

“Who is the first witness of the body?”

I turned around to scan the area fully.

“One of the Zoo keepers.”

“Where is he now? Can I meet him?”

Nithish looks at Avinash then me,

“He is passed away ma’am.”

I look at him with the questionable expression, like asking how?

“He is an elephant keeper, the elephant he was looking after...”

I stopped him middle of his sentence because I understand what he is saying the elephant killed his keeper.

I look at the area ago, it’s been one year after incident happened, this is the only hard thing in taking an old case files as a first assignment. Can’t get the on the crime area evidence, can’t question the witnesses…...lot of things.

“let’s go.”

They followed me out, before leaving from them I enter to the Zoo followed by my team. I ask the zee manager to arrange to meet the people who is close with the zoo keeper who was the first witness of the dead body of Ragul. He arranged it with in five minutes.

I look at them three old age mans and two ladies. I give them a smile I also get that back.

My mom always says to me when I was not smiling to the people who was living in my neighbourhood. You are not going to lose your teeth if you are smiling to them. I always says what going to change if I did smile to them or not. Then she always says

*** “This is not about only sawing your teeth to them, they may past lot of people walking there from here, they must be meet few people they know very well some people they didn’t know.  On the way of here they may hear or seen anything which make them think why this life is like this?...... I am not saying your smile will change anything what they are thinking it for the moment you smile to them will distract them from whatever they are think and their brain will automatically start to talk with you forgetting what they are thinking until now”***

And doing the hard work of take caring the animals, they really want something make them easy on. Even my presence here is going to make them think about their friend who was no more with them.

“Hi, my name is Jennifer.”

They smile at me.

“I know this is hard for you, still this will help lot for me in my investigation. Your friend was the first witness of the dead body behind this zoo a year back. Do you remember?”

They nod.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell me what happened that day?”

The old man answers me

“I was the one with him that day, normally we will leave to home around 9 at night. But that day we have to stay to look after one of the elephants who is about her due date. Willson went to the forest around the early morning to chase the fox which enter into the elephant shelter. That why I hear him screaming.”

“So, you are the second witness?”

“If that what you say.”

He continues saying.

“When I reach there, he is laying on his back with scared expression and he is sweating lot but his eyes didn’t move like his body trying to back out from that area. And then I saw a body which is fully covered with blood on his shirt.”

“Did you see anything else other than the body?”

Avinash asked him behind standing me.

“No, I didn’t saw anything it so dark even the sun rising from the east it is a forest the sun has to come up to enter in this big forest at least the ray of it enter inside.”

He is right this is a big forest with the big and high trees. I leave from there thanking him and the manager for the time. When I enter my car, I called Avinash.

“Yes”

“About the file.”

“That was their final report about that case, I find it on the commissioner’s office I ask permission and get it if it will help for the future reference.”

“Thank you.”

I turn on the engine and drive straight to the David’s house. I get his address from the station from the FIR they filed six years back. I hope he still living there. I stop my car in front a house and enter inside the component Avinash and Nitish stop the station car in front of the house and come towards me. We walk towards the door and ring a doorbell.

The door open after two minute later, a lady opens the door, she is around on her mid-fifties. I smile at her asking-

“David’s house?”

She nodded her head staring at with confused look.

“We are police.”

Says Avinash. She let us in. Three of us sat on the couch when she took the couch opposite of us.

“David is in house?”

“No, he went to meet his friends.”

“When will he come?”

“He said he will come later tonight.”

“If you don’t mind, can I ask about your son?”

In her face there is something which is every mom’s fear about their children’s.

“It’s not what you thinking.”

I say with a smile on my face.

“We are working on a case which is happened year ago. The victim involved with your son in an unwanted way.”

I ask her permission to record it.

Jennifer: Do you remember what happened six years back. When David’s leg was broken?

Davids’ mom: That day was his final game. I ask him what the reason for the fought. He doesn’t give me a clear answer but he did say that one of boys from the other team mock them even before the game.

Jennifer: Did he say anything after discharge from the hospital.

David’s mom: He says he was sorry.

Avinash: For what?

David’s mom: For not playing that game. Disappointing his dad.

*** After five minutes later three of us standing in front of David’s house without any clue about what next step.***

“What next?”

I look at Avinash standing in front of me with not so readable expression. I calculate in my mind. Ragul was the victim. The victim related to the reason for David’s leg broken on the game day. On the files report the guy who was a culprit.

“We are going the gather every single detail about the person ended as a killer. Every single detail of them.”

“But we already have it.”

Nithish’s brother tells me, but even we have the details there must be something missing. Even a pin size clue.”

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